Mombie Dearest
by Klarolineluvr34
Summary: Too Close to Home - When the next creature wanting the knife comes to the school, it seems to hurt Hope more than anything and no one is entirely sure how to help her in her time of need. However, when the person who sent the next monster decides to make an appearance, Hope can either remain heartbroken or change everything. (1x06 AU)
1. Like a Phoenix, I Rise

Alaric is on the phone talking to Caroline, informing her of how upset their kids will be when they discover she isn't returning.

"No, I understand what you're doing is very important work but how am I going to tell the girls that their mother isn't going to be here for their sixteenth birthday?" Alaric asks confused and nods as Caroline's side of the call is incomprehensible.

The door behind him opens, revealing someone's behind him, looking dazed and confused by the office.

"Alaric?" Alaric turns around to see Hayley Marshall staring at him with a stupefied look, which he shares with her.

"I'm gonna have to call you back." Alaric re-finds his voice and ends the call with Caroline before grabbing a crossbow.

"You're really going to try and kill me with that?" Hayley asks scoffing in disbelief.

"Dorian!" Alaric shouts and a moment later Dorian is in the room, standing next Hayley with his hands in the air.

"Woah. Wait, who is this?" Dorian asks once he notices the girl standing next to him.

"I know who she's supposed to be; Hope's mother." Alaric states causing Dorian to stare at Hayley in shock.

Once Dorian recovers, he closes the door then looks at Ric as though he's insane.

"I'm going to need Emma." Alaric claims, completely ignoring the fact that Dorian is gaping at him as though his hair's on fire.

**(Emma's Office)**

Emma is in a session with Hope, who is babbling happily about a possible relationship forming between herself and Landon.

"I mean no one wants a phone thing, but Landon does have a really nice voice and…. I'm boring you with my babbling. Oh god, who am I right now?" Hope asks disturbed by her open behavior as Emma smiles at her.

"A normal teenager. Also, you're not boring me Hope, I just don't think you need a counselor anymore, you need a friend." Emma advises causing Hope to look down, contemplative before looking back up at Emma.

"Well, maybe, I mean, if you wouldn't be opposed, you could be my friend." Hope stammers out awkwardly and Emma smiles at her sympathetically just as Emma's phone goes off, interrupting the moment.

Emma seems touched that Hope would want her as a friend but counseling sessions are the only time they get to see each other and Emma is a very busy girl, working with the headmaster as well as Mr. Williams.

"This session is over, right? I'm sure the headmaster is requesting your presence for something important." Hope correctly assumes causing Emma to frown.

"Yeah, it's very…" Emma starts to explain but Hope cuts her off.

"No, I get it. Go, help Dr. Saltzman, I'll see you next session. I forgot I was going to help set up for Lizzie and Josie's birthday party, anyway." Hope looks saddened by the fact Emma's busy but she pretends it's nothing.

"I'm sorry." Emma apologizes, putting her phone on the table along with her coffee mug.

A few moments after Emma leaves, Hope realizes that Emma forgot her phone so she grabs it and walks out in order to return it.

Emma is in Alaric's office looking at Hayley skeptically after placing a boundary spell on the room, so Hayley can't leave.

"Can one of you please get me different clothes?" Hayley asks, her clothes are dirty and singed, since she burned alive, yet they seem like if she makes a wrong move, then her clothes will turn to ash.

"Um, I can get something of Caroline's." Alaric suggests and Hayley just nods in agreement to this, since she doesn't really care.

Ric is about to ask Hayley something, when there's a knock on the office door.

"Emma?" it's Hope's voice and Dorian covers Hayley's mouth, to keep her from replying, like she wanted to.

"Emma, you left your phone in your office. I came to return it." Hope hears nothing so she just sighs in annoyance, assuming this wasn't where they were going to be.

"Ok, whatever. It appears that no one's here, so if you come back, just know that I'm leaving your phone at the foot of the door." Hope claims, her voice having been raised, as she's either hiding something or knows that they are there.

They see Hope crouch down, put the phone on the floor, and when she seems to sense that no one's actually there, they hear her sigh then see her boots walk away.

Once she's gone, Dorian removes his hand from Hayley's mouth while Emma opens the door to grab her phone and Hayley gapes at all of them, mainly Dorian, in horror.

"Why did you do that? I could've spoken to her." Hayley sounds very annoyed with them.

"So, who wants to explain to her what we're dealing with while I get her some of Caroline's clothes?" Alaric wonders aloud.

"Also, what's your shoe size?" Alaric questions before leaving.

"Size 7." Hayley states plainly, so Alaric leaves and Emma and Dorian explain to Hayley everything about what they're dealing with, including the mystical knife, former relic, leaving Hayley in severe shock.

"We didn't let you talk to Hope because we can't be too careful. You are most likely the next monster, or part of a bigger plot that a different one has." Emma finishes and Hayley nods in understanding, just as Alaric returns with clothes for her.

"You have a bathroom?" Alaric just points to it after handing Hayley the clothes and she walks cautiously to the bathroom, which generously has a shower.

"She took all the information well. For some reason, I don't think she's the next monster. I can't explain it, I just feel like she isn't." Dorian admits, confused by his feelings on the current situation.

Meanwhile, Hope walks into Lizzie and Josie's dorm room after knocking on the door.

"Hey Hope." Josie greets Hope, who smiles at her, but Lizzie looks bitter.

"It's our birthday and I made a wish to not see you today. Apparently, I have to make a new wish." Lizzie states, very grumpy as she sits on the floor, meditating and Hope just rolls her eyes before turning her attention back to Josie.

"Your father's acting strange, to the point where he has Emma performing a boundary spell on his office." Hope gets straight to the point and Josie stares in shock, this statement seemingly catching Lizzie's attention as she turns around.

"That's weird. Do you know why?" Josie asks confused yet curious about her father now, but Hope shakes her head.

"No, that's why I'm here. I was wondering if you could ask him for me." Hope wonders aloud causing Josie to nod in agreement.

"Sure. I promise to tell you about what he's hiding." Josie promises and Hope smiles but Lizzie rolls her eyes and scoffs at this.

"Oh please, you're his prodigal daughter. Why would he tell us something that he won't tell you?" Hope's had enough of Lizzie's bitchy attitude towards her.

"Because you're his kids! I am not his main priority, you are. You two are his kids and he is not my father! He never will be because I'm not his daughter, I'm someone else's that I will never see again! So cut the bitchy crap Lizzie because I'm just done with it and I'm done with you!" Hope shouts at her, having completely lost her patience, keeping Lizzie and Josie silent.

"You know what, just forget I came here. It shouldn't be too hard." Hope glares at Lizzie then storms out of the dorm room, leaving Lizzie feeling ashamed of how she's treated her, and Josie feeling awkward.

"The least we can do is figure out why dad has boundary spell on his office. I mean we already have to scold him for keeping our mom's return a secret." Josie reassures Lizzie, who nods in agreement and they walk to their father's office.

"Dad!" they both shout, loudly knocking on the door.

Alaric grabs Hayley, keeping his hand over her mouth, while Dorian and Emma look at the door then back at Ric, curiously.

"Dad, why is your door locked?" Josie's voice comes through the door.

"Yeah, and why didn't you tell us mom wasn't coming back for our birthday?" Lizzie's voice comes through the door as well and although Alaric really wants to know how they learned that, he's grateful he didn't have to tell them himself.

"Uh, I was going to. You guys should leave in order to get ready because I'm wrapping your birthday presents." Alaric lies and it's obvious that they know this.

"No you aren't." Josie calls him out before her and Lizzie siphon the spell in order to bust the door in.

Alaric lets go of Hayley and Lizzie scrunches her face in disgust.

"Who the hell is this slut?" Lizzie points to Hayley, who looks offended, and Josie side-eyes Lizzie for her behavior.

Then Josie looks at Hayley, and after a moment, she seems to recognize the girl.

"Oh my god. Lizzie, it's her." Josie says vaguely causing Lizzie to look at her confused.

"Who?" Lizzie wonders, voicing her confusion, but Josie keeps staring at Hayley.

"Lizzie, it's Hope's mom." Josie reveals then Lizzie looks at her for a long moment before recognizing her as well.

"Oh my god." Lizzie sighs out in shock then looks at Josie, who seems to have the same idea and they are about to shout for Hope yet Emma quickly casts a simple muting spell, so they hear nothing.

Lizzie and Josie realize they can't hear themselves or each other and look at each other, frowning in confusion.

Then Lizzie starts dancing like a monkey, which has Josie laughing even though no one can hear it.

So Josie starts pretending to sing like she's Snow White singing to animals, while Lizzie giggles in amusement.

"Why is this so amusing?" Dorian whispers to Emma, who just simply shrugs.

"Girls." Alaric gets their attention as they turn back to him with serious faces.

"Emma is going to remove the spell, but you have to promise that you won't tell Hope. Can you do that?" Alaric asks, causing Lizzie and Josie to look at each other then look away evasively before reluctantly nodding, so Emma removes the spell.

Lizzie and Josie sigh in relief that they have their voices back before Josie speaks up.

"I know we just promised you that we wouldn't tell Hope, but I promised to tell her what you were hiding, and I think she needs to know about this." Josie reveals her belief, and promise to Hope, while pointing to Hayley with a frown.

"We don't entirely know the extent of her abilities or her knowledge. I just really don't think we should introduce her to this emotional turmoil." Alaric explains and Josie nods understandingly.

"Well c'mon Lizzie, let's go get ready for our party." Josie advises then drags Lizzie out by the wrist.

In Lizzie and Josie's dorm room, Lizzie hops in the shower, as Josie took one earlier, and then Hope walks in, surprising Josie, who turns around.

"Oh, I thought Lizzie was here." Hope claims, starting to back out.

"She is. She's just in the shower." Josie states but Hope looks awkward.

"I'll just come back later." Hope turns to leave yet Josie stops her.

"If you don't mind me asking, Why do you want to talk to her?" Josie asks kind of awkward.

"I just… nevermind. It doesn't even matter. Did you talk to your dad?" Hope questions changing the subject, and Josie nods, agreeing that she did.

"Well, is he hiding something?" Hope wonders and Josie turns around to continue working on her hair, quietly gulping nervously before answering.

"He's just working on a late birthday present for you. He apparently started it on your birthday and he's close to finishing it. So, you might retrieve it tomorrow." Josie lies as she curls her hair and although Hope seems skeptical, she also seems to believe it as she starts to turn around to leave but Josie stops her again.

"Hey, Do you know how to braid?" Josie asks awkwardly with a nervous laugh, as she turns around causing Hope to turn to face her yet again, looking a little skeptical before smiling kindly at Josie and nods at her.

So, Hope decides to stay and after Josie gets ready in her cute pink dress, she starts to braid Josie's hair.

"I can't wait to see the gift that your dad started on my birthday." Hope admits and Josie nods with a nervous smile.

"Neither can I. He only told me that he was making it, but it's gonna be a real surprise, I'm sure of it." Josie lies once again but Hope doesn't seem to notice.

"So, why did you want to talk to Lizzie when you walked in here?" Josie questions, clearly curious so Hope sighs and decides to tell her.

"It's just, uh, I lost my patience with her and I wanted to, I don't know, apologize. I'm not really good at apologies, so maybe you can tell her for me. Or something?" Hope suggests awkwardly, this answer shocking Josie.

"Well, your hair's done and Lizzie just got out of the shower. So, I will see you at the party." Hope claims then leaves before Josie can say anything.

"Who were you talking to?" Lizzie wonders, walking out of the bathroom in a robe.

"Uh, Hope. I think she wanted to apologize for losing her patience with you." Josie exclaims causing Lizzie to frown for a moment before going back in the bathroom to get ready.

"So, do you have a date to our party?" Lizzie asks as Josie does her hair.

"Uh, I might of, possibly asked, uh, Penelope to be my date." Josie stammers out nervously and Lizzie turns to face her twin.

"You asked your psycho ex to be your date?" Lizzie scoffs in disbelief and Josie looks down, embarrassed.

"She's not psycho. She's evil, remember? Also, I didn't know who else to ask." Josie admits, still embarrassed, after she reminds Lizzie of the nickname they chose for her ex.

"Tell me, while Hope was here, did you think of asking her?" Lizzie wonders in a softer tone than she usually has when she speaks about Hope.

"I thought about it, but I had already asked Penelope earlier." Josie reveals but Lizzie looks skeptical.

"How did you ask your ex? We were together the entire day." Lizzie exclaims, confused.

"I texted her about it while you were meditating. Which was before Hope entered the room." Josie replies shyly, looking at the ground, still embarrassed.

"So, did you tell Hope about her new mombie dearest?" Lizzie questions in a soft tone but with some sass, as she turns back to the mirror so Josie can continue working on her hair.

"I promised dad that I wouldn't. So, I had to lie to her about it and now she thinks our dad is working on some epic gift that he supposedly started on her birthday." Josie states in a breath and it's obvious to Lizzie that she hated lying to Hope.

"Well, let's not be late for our own party." Lizzie advises and Josie nods, having finished doing Lizzie's hair.

The two then leave and Lizzie enters the party, that's in full swing, first, Rafael meeting up with her then Josie enters the party with Penelope meeting her halfway, looking honored that she was asked to be Josie's date.

Hope, in her maroon dress, walks up to Lizzie, who's at the punch bowl.

"Hey Lizzie." Hope greets her and for once, Lizzie smiles at her presence.

"Hey Hope. That's a good color on you." Lizzie compliments her dress causing Hope to smile nervously.

"Thanks. So, I wanted to apologize for losing my patience." Hope looks awkward while saying this but Lizzie is just surprised that she admitted it to her face.

"Um, what is Josie hiding?" Hope asks causing Lizzie to look evasive for a second before looking confused.

"Josie? Hiding something? Doubtful." Lizzie plays dumb, but Hope is persistent.

"I came to your guys' dorm and… You're sisters, she wouldn't lie to you, or you would be part of the secret she's keeping." Hope realizes after hesitating and Lizzie starts to walk away, but Hope walks after her, grabbing her arm.

"Lizzie please. Josie lied right to my face, so if you know something, please tell me." Hope pleads with a desperate facial expression and Lizzie gulps, looking around for Josie, before deciding to tell Hope what's going on.

Hope leaves the party, walking down to Alaric's office, determined to see if Lizzie was being honest about what she told her.

Fortunately, Hope runs into Alaric, who came out of the library.

"Hi Dr. Saltzman." Hope quickly walks up to him, shocking Ric with her appearance.

"Are you going to your kids' party? Because it's that way." Hope points behind her, in the direction she came from and Alaric smiles as he nods.

"Yeah, I know. I just have to get ready. I'm shocked that you are going." Alaric reveals what he's shocked about causing Hope to laugh nervously.

"Well, it's Josie's birthday. I couldn't miss it." Hope admits with a cute head tilt.

"Um, so I'll see you at the party." Alaric claims and Hope nods.

"Oh, absolutely." Hope agrees and once Alaric goes to his office, Hope walks in the library, to see what he was researching.

Hope looks at the books he left on the table, most of them about the dead, some about zombies, and others about necromancy.

She looks at them curiously, when she realizes that someone else is in the library and she hides behind the desk.

"So should we go to the party?" Emma suggests but a second person shakes their head.

"No, let's keep figuring out what's going on." Dorian responds and Hope can hear Alaric walk pass the library door.

"Actually, on second thought, let's take a break. Our minds can use some fun." Dorian closes a book he had just opened then him and Emma leave causing Hope to stand up from behind the desk, in order to look at the books more.

Once she hears Dorian and Emma laughing as they walk pass the door, Hope pokes her head out just in time to see them turn the corner.

She smirks at them leaving for the party, then purposely walks to Alaric's office door and manages to unlock the door without breaking Emma's spell.

Hope breaks into the headmaster's office, to see a familiar looking girl in it.

"Hello." Hope says and the person looks up then turns around, shocking Hope.

"Mom?" Hope looks confused and overwhelmed but these emotions don't stop her from hugging her mother.

"What? How?" Hope clearly has so many questions that Hayley can't answer.

"Alaric, no, Emma said something about a mystical knife relic that lures supernatural beings." Hayley explains with a confused tone and Hope nods.

"Well, maybe you wouldn't be opposed to answering some questions." Hope suggests as she holds up a glass orb.

"And that is…" Hayley starts, clearly confused, and Hope decides to explain it to her.

"It's basically a supernatural lie detector." Hope states, smiling at the realization that she just quoted Landon.

"But Lizzie calls a supernatural thermometer orb." Hope adds, yet sounds confused as why she would.

"Lizzie's one of Alaric's kids, right?" Hayley looks to Hope for confirmation, and Hope nods in agreement.

"Yeah, he has twins. Lizzie and Josie, Lizzie's blonde, Josie's brunette." Hope explains then comes to a realization.

"Oh, okay. So this turns blue when you tell the truth. What's your birthday?" Hope asks.

"June 6th, 1991." Hayley responds and the orb glows blue.

"Ok, tell a lie. What's your favorite sport?" Hope questions.

"Um, Golf." Hayley sounds skeptical but the orb glows red, meaning it was a lie.

Hope sees this as an opportunity to ask about her mom's relationship with her father.

"So, how did you and dad meet?" Hope asks and Hayley laughs, remembering the meeting.

"Uh, I had a friend here, in Mystic Falls, the first hybrid he turned. I helped him break the sire bond then I came to visit after I came across another hybrid of your father's. So, I stayed with that friend for a few days, then your father approached me and made an assumption after I told him I was a friend of Tyler's." Hayley explains as she smiles at the memory and the orb glows blue.

"Did you like him at first sight?" Hope wonders, very curious.

"No, my relationship with your father started off as antagonistic and it became kind of an on/off, more frenemy, relationship when you were born." Hayley admits and the orb glows blue again.

"Did you love him?" Hope questions and Hayley hesitates, not sure how to answer that question.

"Um, eventually, at some point I found myself falling in love with him, no matter how hard I didn't want to. So yeah, I- I loved him." Hayley replies and the orb glows blue once more, making Hope smile.

Meanwhile at the party, Josie's looking around for Hope, who said she'd be there.

So Josie walks over to Lizzie, who slow dances with Rafael happily.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt. Can I talk to my sister for a moment?" Josie interrupts the dance and Rafael nods.

"I'll get us punch." Rafael says then walks away, leaving them to talk.

"Where's Hope? She said she was going to be here." Josie reveals, curious about where she could be.

"I haven't seen her since I walked in. She must of left, you know parties aren't really her thing." Lizzie reminds Josie, who sighs then looks at her twin skeptically.

"I entered the party like two minutes after you did, and I didn't see her. How did you?" Josie wonders causing Lizzie to look away from her twin evasively, which makes Josie more curious but before Josie can ask her about it, their dad walks up.

"Have you girls seen Hope? She promised that I'd absolutely see her here." Alaric claims and Josie crosses her arms, looking at Lizzie.

"I was just asking Lizzie about that. Where's Hope, Lizzie?" Josie demands and Lizzie continues to look evasive.

"She came up to me at the punch bowl like an hour ago, wanting to know what you were hiding, as she knew you lied to her face." Lizzie starts to explain, pointing to Josie, who looks down, ashamed.

"Ok, where is she?" Alaric asks as Lizzie looks at the ground, embarrassed and ashamed.

"I broke my promise to you. I told her what was going on and she left." Lizzie reveals causing both Alaric and Josie to look annoyed.

"Why?" Josie questions, shaking her head with her arms still crossed.

"She begged me to tell her. She just looked so sad and I thought she could use some good news, regardless of how it became news in the first place." Lizzie explains with an apologetic tone.

Rafael walks up with punch for him and Lizzie.

"Is this a bad time?" Rafael wonders, looking from the three Saltzmans, confused.

"Uh no. Thanks, Rafael." Lizzie takes the cup from him as Josie walks back to her date and Alaric walks back to his office.


	2. This All Escalated Very Quickly

Hope remains in Alaric's office, still in her dress, happily talking to her mother, about her and her father as well as asking questions about her parent's relationship that she forgot.

"Hope." Alaric walks into his office and Hope is appalled that he's there.

"Let me guess, Lizzie told you where to find me." Hope correctly assumes as he remains silent.

"What are you doing in here?" Alaric asks, annoyed but Hope rolls her eyes, as though it's an obvious answer.

"Hmm, let me think, I recently find out from Lizzie that my mom is alive, being held in your office. I should just stay at the party and not think about it again." Hope states in a very sassy manner that makes Hayley chuckle a little and Alaric roll his eyes.

"Lizzie already told me why you weren't going to tell me, right after she told me what was going on." Hope reveals, shocking Ric, since Lizzie didn't say much, let alone anything in detail.

"You hooked her up to a lie detector." Alaric realizes when he sees the orb in between Hope and her mother.

"Yes, I was just about to ask her on what she knows about the knife." Hope claims and Alaric nods yet doesn't move which Hope doesn't like at all.

"I'm sure Lizzie and Josie would love to have their father at their sweet sixteen. You know, since their mother can't be there." Hope advises, trying not to sound annoyed by his presence, not knowing that she's failing.

Alaric isn't happy with Hope letting herself fall for a possible trap, but he leaves Hope to talk with her mother, much to his reluctance.

Back at the party, Josie dances with Penelope, even though she's clearly worrying about something, so Penelope decides to make conversation about her ex's worries.

"What are you worried about, Jo Jo?" Penelope wonders aloud, looking concerned.

"Hope. It's just, we think the next creature showed up and Lizzie told her about it." Josie replies, confusing Penelope.

""So, you don't think that she can handle it?" Penelope questions but Josie shakes her head.

"I know she can't. The creature is taking the form of her mother." Josie reveals, shocking her ex.

"Dragons, gargoyles, giant spiders, dryads, and now raising the dead. Clearly brute force wasn't working, so they're going with emotional trauma. You know, these monsters are becoming real dicks." Penelope claims and Josie laughs at her last statement which makes Penelope smile at her.

"Yeah, they are." Josie agrees as they continue to dance.

"But, there has to be something else at play. I mean, Hope's mother didn't just rise from her grave, meaning that somebody was behind it." Penelope realizes yet this statement just worries Josie again, so she backtracks on what she said.

"And whoever is actually behind her emotional trauma, Hope will find and open a can of her merciless, badass-self on them, making the world right again." Penelope says, as an attempt to reassure Josie, who smiles shyly at this statement then Penelope dips her causing Josie to focus mainly on her ex's lips before they stand back up and continue to dance.

Meanwhile, Lizzie informs Rafael of her own worries about Hope as he listens intently while also starting to worry about Hope himself.

"So, are you worried that Hope is going to wound up heartbroken or that you can't do anything about it?" Rafael wonders and Lizzie gulps nervously.

"Both. I'm worried about both, but I don't even know what to do about it." Lizzie exclaims, starting to sound upset as her and Hope seem to be working on making their relationship less antagonistic.

"Well, I don't know how to help either of you so I'm probably not someone to ask for help." Rafael states and Lizzie nods understandingly.

"I don't think anyone knows how to help her." Lizzie admits with a frown then her and Rafael keep slow dancing.

In Alaric's office, Hope has asked all of the mandatory questions, but Hayley knows nothing about what they're dealing with, or the knife and Hope was glad that she knew nothing, as she was getting annoyed with interrogating her mother.

Hope looks at her watch, and, realizing how late it is, she stands up.

"I have to go. But I will be back tomorrow, that is if you'll be here." Hope looks down sadly and Hayley looks at her sympathetically.

"Well, then we will see tomorrow." Hayley reassures Hope as she cups her face in her hands then Hayley hugs her daughter.

"I'm glad you're here, mom." Hope murmurs as they hug.

"I'm just glad that I'm seeing you again." Hayley whispers to and Hope nods, smiling, then the hug breaks and Hope walks out looking sad.

The party has just ended but Hope isn't focusing on that, instead she just heads to her dorm room, only to be shocked to see someone sitting on her bed, who looks familiar.

"Uh, hello." Hope says, looking suspicious of the person who stands up to turn around, revealing himself to be her father.

"Dad." Hope sighs out in shock then runs over and hugs him, which he reciprocates happily.

"How?" Hope asks after the hug breaks.

"I'm not sure. I was just pulled awake." Klaus explains and Hope just stares at him.

"That's what mom said happened to her." Hope reveals, shocking Klaus.

"Your mother? She's here?" Klaus wonders, looking happy to know that Hayley's back as well, and Hope nods.

"Yep, she's in the headmaster's office. I can take you to her, if you want." Hope suggests, and Klaus smiles.

"You can later. I just really need to spend time with you right now." Klaus states then hugs her again.

"So, do you have an important event?" Klaus asks, taking note of his daughter's attire.

"What? Oh no, I mean I went to a birthday party but that's long ended by now." Hope explains awkwardly after she realized that he was looking at her dress.

Regardless of Hope having to leave her mother in order to change and sleep, she spends more of a majority of her night talking to her father, as well as interrogating him after she explains what's been going on, only to be shocked that he already knows what she's dealing with as he has been watching over her since he died.

After spending a large majority of her day reuniting and catching up with her parents, Hope promptly falls asleep after putting her dad in her headmaster's office, yet she's still in her dress, having forgotten to change into her pajamas.

Alaric has no idea what to do since he now has both of Hope's parents in his office but it's strictly precautionary and also because he knows that they don't want to be locked up in the school's cellar along with the fact that Hope doesn't want them locked in the cellar either.

Hope wakes up early the next morning, changes her clothes, and then heads to the headmaster's office, in order to see her parents, who are still there, much to everyone's future surprise.

"Oh, uh, hi Hope." Josie greets her after she turns around because the door opened and Hope looks shocked to see her there.

"You're talking to my parents?" Hope questions, very confused by the scene playing out before her and Josie gets embarrassed as looks down at the ground nervously.

"Um yep. Just seeing if they were still here. I'll leave now." Josie scurries out of the office with Hope looking after her then she looks back to her parents, still looking confused.

"Do I want to know?" Hope asks, pointing to the door.

"She just wanted to talk to us." Klaus reveals plainly, although this does nothing except confuse Hope more.

"I think she's nice." Hayley pipes up with a slight smile which Hope smiles at.

"Yeah, she is nice." Hope states as she smiles while looking at the ground.

Hope then ditches the entire school day, talking to her parents because she wants to savor every moment she has with them before they disappear, but her parents encourage her to go to her classes, so they'll have something to talk about.

Hope is getting more hopeful that her parents are there to stay, as days have passed yet they still remain with her, and although a small part of her knows that her hopefulness is against her better judgement, she doesn't care because for once she feels happy again, something she hasn't truly felt in two years.

Having finished visiting her parents, after school ended, Hope finds herself in Lizzie and Josie's dorm room, where Lizzie isn't but Josie is.

"Hey. What's with the unexpected visit?" Josie wonders, sitting up quickly to straighten out the dress that she's wearing.

"Um, so a couple days ago, you were talking to my parents. I want to know why." Hope replies, getting straight to the point causing Josie to look a little nervous as she gets off of her bed.

"It's just, I've heard you talk so much about them and I wanted to get to know them in order to understand why." Josie explains nervously, but Hope seems touched by the fact that Josie listens to her rants.

"And? What did you figure out?" Hope asks curiously.

"That you have pretty amazing parents." Josie reveals, blurting it as though it was the first compliment that came to her mind and Hope smiles happily at Josie as she tilts her head.

"So, you going somewhere fancy?" Hope questions, changing the subject as well as taking note of Josie's appearance.

"Not really fancy, but I am going somewhere. Yeah, to Penelope's dorm." Josie responds and Hope looks confused.

"And you're going to Penelope's dorm because…" Hope trails off when Josie looks at the ground as though she's embarrassed or ashamed.

"She asked me out on a date, but since we aren't allowed to leave school property without adult supervision." Josie answers Hope's unfinished question, which leaves her shocked but she nods in understanding.

"Does Lizzie know about this date?" Hope wonders and Josie vigorously shakes her head.

"Oh no, she doesn't. But she said something about having a prior engagement of sorts." Josie explains and Hope nods understandingly.

"That's why you were nervous when I walked in. You thought I was Lizzie." Hope assumes, which is correct, proven by a look that Josie gives her.

"Well, enjoy your date. I'll see you tomorrow." Hope is about to walk out before she stops to say something else.

"Oh, and don't worry, I won't tell Lizzie about this." Hope adds then walks out of the dorm, leaving Josie speechless and touched that Hope would keep a secret about her possibly rekindling a relationship.

The next evening, Hope walks into her dorm room after visiting her parents, and since it's the weekend, she had no classes to attend.

The moment she walks in, there's a very creepy man, who looks like a zombie with his face looking as though it's been sewn on.

Hope looks very creeped out by this person but makes no move to scream for help.

"Hello, Hope Mikaelson." The man says and Hope takes a step back as he walks forward.

"Who the hell are you?" Hope asks, confused and annoyed that this person broke into her dorm.

"I'm the Necromancer and there are things that we need to discuss. Your parents being one of them." The Necromancer claims and Hope stands there, staring at him, skeptical.


	3. Tell Me, What's the Best Case Scenario?

Hope remains in her dorm room, still staring at The Necromancer, very skeptical.

"You want to talk? Fine, then talk." Hope demands bitterly and The Necromancer laughs at this statement.

"What do you know about my parents?" Hope asks, already annoyed.

"I know that I rose them from their non-existent graves." Necromancer answers plainly, shocking Hope.

"Why are you here?" Hope questions but the Necromancer scoffs.

"For the same reason every other monster came here. I want that knife and you're going to hand it over." Necromancer claims but Hope laughs it off before getting serious again.

"How about I show you some tribrid hospitality and kill you instead?" Hope suggests in a threatening tone as her eyes glow yellow, clearly prepared for a fight.

"I'm the Necromancer. Death cannot hold me." Necromancer exclaims yet Hope scoffs at this.

"Really? Well then…" Hope starts then without any warning, uses silent telekinesis to break an object in her room over his head, causing her to hear his neck to snap.

"We will just have to see about that." Hope finishes then drags the Necromancer all the way down to cellar before getting Alaric and informing him of the confrontation she just had.

Alaric is shocked she didn't immediately come to him, but shakes it off and chains the Necromancer to a chair before he wakes up, per Hope's request.

When the Necromancer does wake up, he sees Hope in the cellar with crossed arms and a defensive position with a head tilt as she glares at him, looking like her mother.

"Is this tribrid hospitality?" Necromancer mocks Hope's words, which she rolls her eyes at, in annoyance.

"What's so special about that knife?" Hope wonders in an angry tone.

"I assumed you knew. That knife is a key to Malivore. Once I retrieve the knife, I will return it and find peace." Necromancer explains and Hope looks shocked by this information, which gives the Necromancer some ammo.

"I'm surprised that your headmaster didn't tell you. After all, the dryad that came before me told him all about it." Necromancer taunts Hope, who scoffs at this.

"You're lying. Dr. Saltzman doesn't keep things from me, especially not when it comes to the knife." Hope claims, very confident with this statement.

"Really? Well if you truly believe that, why don't you ask him for yourself?" Necromancer recommends in a taunting tone leaving Hope looking skeptical and horrified by this, yet she still doesn't believe him, so she remains to interrogate him, much to his amusement.

"So, just clarify, you said that if you return the knife to Malivore, you'd find peace. But if it's only the key, then shouldn't everyone in Malivore find peace?" Hope thinks aloud before coming to a realization almost immediately after she voices this thought.

"Because the knife isn't the only key to Malivore. Where, or what, are the other keys?" Hope asks demandingly, keeping the Necromancer amused.

"One is an urn and the other is a knife. I don't know where they are but I know that one of your parents does have one of them." Necromancer claims, and Hope is shocked by this revelation, as well as by the fact he told her without any form of persuasion.

"What do they look like?" Hope wonders, still with a demanding tone.

"The urn is egyptian, it has the head of a pharaoh on the lid. I have no idea what the second knife looks like, but rest assured, it might look like an ancient relic, possibly very similar to the first one. But like I said, I have no idea what it looks like." Necromancer admits, keeping Hope shocked by his cooperation.

"Why did you bring my parents back?" Hope questions in a soft yet confused tone.

"Call it emotional manipulation if you will." Necromancer replies tauntingly, which makes Hope more curious but she turns around, her back towards him, to contemplate his reply.

"They're leverage because you want the knife." Hope correctly assumes as the Necromancer smiles at her.

"I can help you Hope. You just have to let me." Necromancer advises and Hope turns to face him after scoffing in disbelief.

"How can you help me?" Hope asks with a demanding tone in voice once again.

"Like I've said before, I am the Necromancer. Right now your parents are just zombies wearing their flesh. What if I told you I can make them real?" Necromancer wonders, catching Hope's interest, as she takes two steps closer to him.

"There's a catch, isn't there?" Hope assumes with an annoyed tone.

"More like a deal, or a trade, whichever you want to call it. You hand me the knife, I'll resurrect your parent. Do we have a deal?" Necromancer questions and Hope looks at him, unsure of what to do yet also unaware of how he worded it.

"I'll be right back." Hope just walks out of the cellar and back out into the school hallway where just about everyone is, including her parents.

Hope explains everything that the Necromancer told her, including the fact that her parents could be alive again, not being zombies, all of this information taking everyone aback.

"The only problem is that we lose the knife." Dorian is the first to respond but Hope just shakes her head.

"The knife doesn't matter anymore, especially since there are two other keys outside of it." Hope exclaims, it being obvious that she wants to agree to it simply because it will mean that she'll get her parents back.

"That urn you said he described, I've seen it before. I have it. Well, I got it as a gift that fell into the hands of Elijah." Klaus explains, causing everyone to look at him in shock.

"The thing is, I don't know what he did with the souvenir box, which contained the urn, that I gave him." Klaus reveals causing them to panic slightly.

"So I give him the knife?" Hope looks around for reassurance, immediately getting support from Josie and Lizzie, who nod their heads in agreement.

Rafael, MG, and Penelope also nod their heads in agreement, shortly followed by Kaleb.

Emma and Dorian follow suit as well, causing Ric to sigh in realization.

"Well, the majority calls it. I'll get the knife for you." Alaric walks away to his office in order to retrieve the knife.

When he comes back, he hands over the knife, and Hope goes back down to the cellar.

"I have what you want. Now give me my parents." Hope demands, keeping the knife behind her back, yet the Necromancer starts chuckling.

"Oh, Hope your hearing needs to improve. I never made it plural." Necromancer reveals, confusing Hope.

"What do you mean?" Hope asks voicing her confusion.

"I said that I can bring back your parent, not parents. You have to pick the one you want the most." Necromancer advises, leaving Hope looking nervous.

"No, you're the Necromancer. You should be able to bring both of them back." Hope assumes, worried and frantic.

"I should but I can't. My powers only extend so far. I'm sorry but you have to choose only one of your parents." Necromancer apologizes and Hope turns around so he won't see her facial expression.

This revelation leaves Hope absolutely horrified and unsure what to do as she looks down at the knife in her hand while her back is turned.


	4. A Vested Interest in Keeping You Alive

Hope is still standing with her back turned to the Necromancer, contemplating her options, even though she's horrified and still doesn't know what to do, so she turns around, not seeing a loophole of any kind.

"A deal's a deal but you need to give me time to choose which one." Hope negotiates as she magically undoes the chains binding him then, much to her defeat, she hands him the knife once he is on his feet.

"I'll give you some time to choose before I hold up my end, and then I can finally find the peace I deserve." Necromancer agrees to Hope's negotiation and Hope runs up to the hallway to tell her parents of the new plan.

"No. That's not the deal you agreed to." Hayley reminds Hope but she shakes her head.

"Yes it is. I can't manipulate his power simply because I heard him wrong." Hope realizes and Klaus scoffs.

"Well, you certainly didn't get that from my side of the family." Klaus mutters under his breath and Hayley gives him a neutral look, which seems to make him backtrack.

"I meant that as a good thing." Klaus adds causing Hope to smile to herself as Hayley good-naturedly rolls her eyes.

"Look, you can back out on the deal." Hayley claims yet Hope shakes her head again.

"No, I can't. I already gave him the knife. In exchange, I asked for time to choose." Hope reveals, shocking her parents, as well as everyone else in the hall.

"It's obvious that you don't want to choose, so why make the situation any more difficult?" Klaus wonders aloud, before thinking to himself.

"Klaus…" Hayley starts to protest about Hope's free will but Klaus cuts her off, having already come to a decision.

"You'll tell him you chose your mother." Klaus states plainly, leaving Hayley and Hope in shock.

"No." Both Hope and Hayley protest to this.

"Look, on every other occasion I would choose myself, but you need your mother more than me." Hope shakes her head and scoffs in disbelief.

"No, I need both of you." Hope admits, but it's obvious this decision is affecting Klaus emotionally so he walks Hope to the other end of the hallway to discuss it further, leaving Hayley with Alaric and the rest of them.

"No, I'm not allowing this." Hope shakes her head as tears form in her eyes causing Klaus to wipe them away before they fall when he feels something.

"Dad?" Hope looks concerned but Klaus just smiles at her.

"I lived a thousand years loving, yet also defying, nature. I'm not supposed to be here but I loved very much that I had this. Now I can find peace knowing that you won't be alone." Klaus explains, glancing back at Hayley with a very significant look.

"This isn't supposed to happen. You are not supposed to leave me again." Hope exclaims, starting to cry as he starts to disappear, but he looks at her sympathetically as he strokes her cheek.

"You're a witch, so you know I can't remain here but at least your mother can and you can know that I won't truly be gone." Klaus soothes her but she's already hysterical, having let herself fully cry.

"Please, don't leave me daddy." Hope pleads as she slides down the wall, crying hard.

"I don't have a choice sweetheart. You should find comfort, however, that I'll be with you, always and forever." Klaus crouched down to Hope's level as she sits on the floor, petting her hair while she cries, devastated by this event.

"I love you." Hope sighs out in a whisper as Klaus disappears but she can still hear the echo of his voice.

"I love you, my littlest wolf." Klaus whispers out yet when he said 'wolf', it trailed off, meaning that he's no longer there, much to her despair.

This was way too much for Hope, as she lets herself hysterically cry sitting on floor, opposite of where everyone else is and Hayley feels herself come back to life.

After she catches her breath, momentarily relishing in the fact she's alive, she runs over to comfort her daughter, whose crying is so intense that everyone else, who are standing around awkwardly and unsure what to do, hear thunder then the sound of rain, implying that Hope is so upset she's changing the weather.

Hayley sits next to Hope so she can comfort her, while everyone else is shocked that Hope can change the weather.

After Hayley comforts her making her momentarily calm, Hope stands up, looking very hateful, then glares at Lizzie and Penelope, as though she's expecting some sort of 'I told you so', or an insult of sorts from them but when they say nothing she just runs off to her dorm, so she can cry more about losing her father, again.

Hope remains in her dorm room, not leaving and rarely letting her mother in, for the next two weeks, the only thing worrying everyone is if she's been eating.

So Josie, being the most worried outside of her mother, decides to speak with Hope.

She knocks on the door but there's no answer, so she knocks again.

"Hope?" Josie asks softly as she knocks on the door again.

Much to her surprise, Hope opens the door, yet she looks miserable, and depressed.

"I'm still alive." Hope says in a dull, montoned voice that makes Josie more worried.

"Have you been eating?" Josie wonders in a soft tone, trying not to aggravate Hope.

Hope just motions for her to walk inside as she steps away from the door, so Josie walks in, only to be horrified by the sight that snack wrappers, ice cream tubs, and empty bottles of sierra mist scattered across the floor.

"In a way, I have been eating as you can see." Hope motions around the room before picking up a non-empty bottle of sierra mist and drinking it, as though it's her form of a drinking problem that she started.

"Mi casa, es su casa." Hope sounds drunk but she isn't and she flops onto her bed then sits up to drink the rest of the bottle she has in her hands while Josie looks concerned.

"Have you eaten any actual food?" Josie questions, still concerned by the setup of Hope's dorm room but Hope just shakes her head then grabs another bottle from a case that resides on her nightstand along with a handful of granola bars.

"Hope, this is…" Josie starts but Hope cuts her off.

"What? Spiraling, concerning, unhealthy, disturbing…" Hope names several words she thinks Josie's going to say but Josie just frowns.

"I was going to say upsetting." Josie admits and for a moment Hope realizes that it might be but she shrugs it off to continue eating the granola bars in her lap.

"You need to eat something other than snacks." Josie claims but Hope rolls her eyes at this.

"Why?" Hope wonders curiously before taking a swig of her beverage.

"Look, I understand that you're mourning and you need to grieve, but you haven't left your dorm in two weeks. So, I guess that means you don't know that Penelope gave your mom a daylight bracelet." Josie reveals, shocking Hope as well as confusing her.

"What?" Hope asks softly with a frown.

"Yeah, Penelope made her one three days ago. Then her, your mom, Dr. Saltzman, Emma, Mr. Williams, and Lizzie all went to New Orleans to find that urn your dad had." Josie explains, leaving Hope shocked and hurt.

"When did they leave?" Hope wonders, still shocked, confused, and hurt.

"Yesterday." Josie responds and Hope looks like she's on the verge of crying so Josie sits on the bed in order to comfort her.

"Everyone knows that you're upset, and you should know that you are the reason it's been very gloomy out lately, but they didn't want to overwhelm you by bringing you back to your home." Josie reassures Hope, which eases her nerves slightly.

Then Hope gets an idea and a dark look creeps across her face as she stares at Josie, who seems scared of the look Hope's now giving her.

"I have an idea. How would you like to be my accomplice for it?" Hope questions and although Josie looks skeptical, she sighs in defeat before asking something.

"Does agreeing to this mean that you'll eat properly and leave your room?" Josie asks with a defeated yet curious tone and Hope just throws some granola bar wrappers in her face while she smiles victoriously.

So after Josie supervises to ensure that Hope eats properly, they find themselves off campus and outside the large, former Mikaelson mansion.

Josie looks nervous that they're off campus and decides to inform Hope of her fears.

"I don't think we should be here." Josie says voicing her nervousness.

"I ate properly and left bed to ensure that you'd agree to this. Don't back out on me." Hope pleads, so, against her better judgement, Josie stays to be Hope's accomplice.

"So, what is this place?" Josie asks curiously once they walk inside, looking around in awe.

"It's my dad's old house from before he moved back to New Orleans." Hope explains quickly as she holds a metal container in her arms.

"What are you holding in your hands?" Josie questions, just realizing that Hope was holding something.

"My dad's ashes." Hope states plainly as she finds her way to the kitchen, leaving a now concerned Josie to follow behind her.

"What are you looking for?" Josie wonders as Hope searches the fridge.

"When I read my dad's memoirs, I read that he not only had this house, but he kept the blood of his siblings and himself in a fridge. It apparently isn't this one." Hope slams the fridge door shut in frustration then thinks for a long moment.

"Wait, he said he kept those vials in a mini fridge, that he gave your mother." Hope realizes as she looks at Josie, who seems shocked by this.

"Does your mom have a mini fridge?" Hope asks and Josie nods.

"Yep. It's in her office, a place no one's supposed to go when she isn't there. Which is more often than me and Lizzie would like." Josie adds sadly but, even she gave a clear warning, this makes Hope more determined.

"Let's go break into your mom's office." Hope declares, horrifying Josie, who literally just said they weren't allowed in the office while she is absent.

So, Hope and Josie are back on school campus and breaking into Caroline's office, much to Josie's dismay.

Once they walk in, the mini fridge is against the wall, by her desk so she can just spin her chair and get a drink or something.

Hope walks over and searches the mini fridge but to no avail.

"Hmm, maybe your dad lied. Oh well, why don't we just check somewhere else?" Josie suggests, clearly worried about being discovered, but Hope rolls her eyes, unswayed by Josie's words.

"Memoirs are stories of people's lives, I doubt my dad lied about this." Hope reveals then scans the fridge over, curiously.

"He said he hid them in the fridge but he never said whether or not they could be seen." Hope thinks aloud then turns the fridge around, looking at the back of it suspiciously.

She notices some bolts that stand out as looking twistable instead of the other ones, that are clearly screwed in.

So Hope twists the screws that stood out, removing a small panel, and revealing the vials of blood in a mini tray.

"And there's our prize." Hope says as she smiles victoriously while removing the vials from the back of the fridge.

She hands the tray to Josie so she can put the fridge back together, and where she put it, then they both leave for the former Mikaelson mansion.

"Not that I don't think this house is ridiculously cool, because I do, but why are we back here?" Josie wonders as they walk in the house again.

"Well according to my dad's memoirs, this place holds a lot of very good memories, of sorts." Hope awkwardly clears her throat while she says good, meaning whatever they are she won't share because they're weird.

"It's the perfect place for what I'm going to do." Hope recovers from the awkwardness.

"I know there's salt in either the pantry or a cupboard. Can you go get it?" Hope requests and Josie nods before walking off to get the salt while Hope focuses on getting candles.

When Josie returns, it doesn't take long for her to realize what Hope is doing, but she decides not to stop her.

"So, are you sure this will work?" Josie looks concerned yet sounds supportive as she has her arms crossed, standing defensely, while Hope makes a star with the salt.

"It has to. The blood of the people who love him most, in the place he wanted to be a home for his family." Hope pours each vial of blood in the urn before cutting her hand and putting her blood in it before pulling out another vial.

"Whose blood it that?" Josie wonders, looking curious.

"My mom's blood." Hope says plainly with a small smile on her face then pours the vial in as well.

Once all the vials of blood she had, as well as her own, were poured in the urn she places it in the middle of the triangle, that has candles on each point, then she pulls out a shoebox, catching Josie's attention.

However before Josie can ask what's in the box, Hope opens it to reveal a hummingbird, but Josie still looks curious until Hope kills the bird with an apologetic look before cutting it open and letting its blood drop on the salt.

"You ready?" Hope asks, holding out her hands, and Josie realizes she wanted her help in this sacrificial resurrection spell.

Reluctantly, Josie holds Hope's hands, her own hands glowing red as she siphons from Hope, then they both start chanting.

The chanting gets louder as wind starts to whisp around them, blowing their hair in and out of their faces.

They continue to chant as the flames of the lit candles blare up and the wind picks up, more powerful than when it started.

The candles blow out and the wind dies down causing the girls to finish chanting then look around at the triangle.

A clothed person is hunched over on one knee, hands in front of them, then they look up, revealing that the spell worked, and Hope smiles triumphantly at her father and Josie.

While Josie is happy that Hope is, Klaus looks at her, sympathetic, yet annoyed that she can't let him be dead.

Klaus gets to his feet and Hope runs into arms, embracing him in a hug he reciprocates while Josie smiles onward.

"You should know that this isn't letting me go." Klaus claims after the hug breaks and Hope nods.

"I know. I'm just not ready to. If it isn't obvious, I have an extreme vested interest in keeping you alive." Hope smiles at him.

"I should thank you as well. Seeing as how you helped." Klaus calls out to Josie, who smiles happily at him.

"No thank you is necessary. I'm just glad Hope's happy." Josie admits smiling at the reunited father/daughter pair, who smile back at her.

"So, where's your mother?" Klaus wonders curiously.

"She went to New Orleans to find that urn. Lizzie promised to text me if they found it." Josie responds before Hope could.

"Well…" Klaus gets cut off by Josie's phone going off so looks at it.

It's a text from Lizzie that reads:

'_We looked everywhere. Can't find the urn, heading back to you. Be there in a couple hours. Mwah, Luv ya.'_

"Lizzie just texted me. She says they couldn't find the urn, so they're heading back, and will be here in a few hours." Josie explains as she re-reads the text Lizzie sent her before pocketing her phone.

"Well, should we stay here or head back to the school?" Hope asks, thinking.

"We head back. But while you attend school, me and your mother will remain here, in this house." Klaus assures Hope, who nods in agreement, seeing this as a reasonable thing to do.

So the three of them headed back to the school in order to wait and when the people who left return, Hayley is in shock to see Klaus in Hope's freshly cleaned dorm room.

"I have to get to class." Hope exclaims then scurries out to her class, in order to remove herself from the possibility of getting in trouble.

Klaus explains what Hope did while she was gone, leaving Hayley shocked, but what shocked her more was that while Hope continued going to boarding school, they will remain in his old mansion, which Hayley ultimately agrees to, as she doesn't want to leave her daughter again and neither does Klaus.

Since they're both alive, and Hope isn't around, Hayley finds herself abruptly kissing Klaus, an action that shocks him, yet something that he reciprocates.

After it breaks, they go in for more before they decide to leave campus and head to the house they'll be staying at so they won't get any interruptions, or have it be awkward if Hope comes back to her dorm.


End file.
